Howard Thurman

8/8/2019 Howard Thurman

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There is the Howard Thurman story. He had an influence on Dr. Martin Luther King.Thurman was a classmate at Morehouse College. Thurman mentored the young King and

his friends. Thurman lived in segregated Daytona, Florida. A black man gave him money

to go on the train in Daytona. When Thurman wrote his autobiography, he dedicated it

"to the stranger in the railroad station in Daytona Beach who restored my brokendream sixty-five years ago." He participated in missionary work and talked with

Mahatma Gandhi. Thurman was a student at Boston University and King on many times

visited Thurman as the dean of Marsh Chapel. Walter Fluker, who has studied

Thurman's writings, has stated, "I don't believe you'd get a Martin Luther King, Jr.

without a Howard Thurman." Howard Thurman lived from 1899 to April 10, 1981. He wrote20 books and he helped to found the first racially integrated, multicultural church in

America back in 1944 (called the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San


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As I get older, I'm starting to understand more about issues. Just because someone calls

themselves as a part of the GOP doesn't mean that they are pro-God. Even the

Republicans back then are different from the Republicans that you see today. Once,Theodore Roosevelt (despite his errors) fought to promote food safety from the robber

barons. He promoted environmental safety and used money to preserve natural treasures

in the form of national parks in America to benefit all Americans. Once, the Republican

& NYC mayor Fiorello LaGuardia governed in the era of the New Deal during FDR'stime. LaGuardia wanted coal to benefit all of the people and use the government to

actively pursue that goal. Regardless if you choose to agree with coal technology or not,

the people using active government in order to promote progressive actions is taboo forthe Tea Partiers to embrace. Some Tea Party people oppose a minimum wage, Social

Security, public works, and other acts that have enriched the lives of millions of

American citizens. Theodore Roosevelt tried to have his independent Bull Moose party,but he failed to be President later on. The Tea Party today would of have condemned the

Republicans of yesteryear. Big business took over both major parties now and especially

the Republican Party (some of its biggest supporters supported the Nazi Party decades

ago like Prescott Bush).By the 1960's, the Republicans became more reactionary. ManyRepublicans voted for more civil rights legislation (along with Democrats like JFK, RFK,

Hubert Humphrey, and LBJ), but some of the Dixiecrat Democrats & pro-segregationists

came into the Republicans with open arms by the mid to late 1960's. Hubert Humphreyas far back as 1948 called for civil rights legislation. He said that back then that all

humans are equal and ought to have equal rights including African Americans.

In 1967, he said these accurate words:

"What do we want for people? Human dignity, personal expression and fulfillment,

justice, freedom."


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"Equality means equality for all no exceptions, no 'yes, buts', no asterisked footnotesimposing limits."

"Be clear where America stands. Human brotherhood and equal opportunity for every

man, woman, and child, we are committed to it, in America and around the world."

Humphrey said in 1976 that:

"The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, thechildren; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow

of life, the sick, the needy, and the handicapped."

Private power should never be stronger than the democratic state since that's basically

fascism (or the ownership of the government by a select few of corporate interests).

Times have changed over 150 years after the beginning of the Civil War. We see the TeaParty and the Young Guns in full effect today. Both major parties have had their share of

men and women of high moral character. On the one hand, some of these people are ofvery low moral character. This reality occurs today. This is why we should promote theinterests of the poor and all peoples not the privileged rich elite . For it's better to helpthe neighbor than to exploit or oppress the neighbor. Even Micah 6:8-12 condemned the

corruption of the rich elite. Isaiah 58:1-10 said that we should clothe people and help

people suffering in the world. Reactionaries say that this is the individuals'responsibilities not the state. Yet, the government is created by individuals and the

people. It's made up of people and the government (as made up of the people) helping the

people is not evil nor a vice. It's a function of compassion and it's even mentioned in the

Constitution (as found in Article I, Section 8). If progressive efforts to improve humanstandard of living are bad then why do European nations have equal or better HDL (and

standard of living levels) than the USA (like Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, theNetherlands, etc.). It's very hypocritical for those of reaction to say nothing on thegovernment sending mail, building roads, having a military, preventing fires, having

national parks, etc. and then say that any other government intervention is equivalent to

socialism. The red baiting is old and tired. For their ilk (or the neo cons, etc.) to claimsome intellectual superiority over people like me, they sure advocate some archaic,

unintelligent views.

Now, the old lie that President John F. Kennedy was some war mongering extremist hasbeen refuted. By 1963, JFK woke up a great deal. He even called for world peace aswell. Noam Chomsky made the error that JFK wanted some super military responseagainst the nation of Vietnam. It's now confirmed that President Kennedy had a policy to

withdraw military troops from Vietnam. The Assassination Records and Review Board

confirmed that JFK wanted a withdrawal plan from Vietnam. These new documents werereleased by the ARRB on December 22, 1997. Within days, the New York Times

headlined a story with, Kennedy Had a Plan for Early Exit in Vietnam. The Associated

Press story read, New Documents Hint that JFK Wanted U.S. out of Vietnam. ThePhiladelphia Inquirer story was bannered, Papers support theory that Kennedy hadplans for a Vietnam pullout. Scholars like Howard Jones, David Kaiser, and Gordon


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Goldstein wrote new books about how President John F. Kennedy didn't want a massive

military buildup in Vietnam at all. President John F. Kennedy and Lyndon BainesJohnson had differing views of the war. Now, Chomsky wants to portray Kennedy as a

war monger towards the nation of Cuba. We live after 50 years of the Cuban Missile

Crisis. The truth is that President John F. Kennedy was firm, but he never believed in an

all-out invasion of Cuba during the crisis. President John F. Kennedy instituted ablockade to prevent Soviet supplies from coming into and leaving the island of Cuba. He

supported the withdrawal of the American Jupiter missiles from Turkey in exchange forthe Russian withdrawal of the missiles from Cuba. Even then Vice President Lyndon

Johnson rejected that end. According to a pro-Johnson biographer Bob Caro's "The

Passage of Power," LBJ was more militant in tone and confrontation in approaching theCuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy had a more level headed and dovish approach during the

debates of November 1961 on the question on whether to send combat troops into

Vietnam. Also, Chomsky omits that the CIA did unauthorized actions against places even

beyond the President's authority during the Presidency of John F. Kennedy. During thecrisis, CIA officer William Harveya man who despised the Kennedyssecretly

dispatched several teams of Cuban exile paratroopers onto the island. JFK was angry atHarvey for doing this. Harvey's CIA career was over after that incident. The CIA'sautonomous actions without JFK's approval are proven in Hancock's book and Jim

Douglass' "JFK and the Unspeakable." Chomsky writes that there was a plot to

assassinate Castro in 1963, but it wasn't organized by the Kennedys at all. It was calledthe AM/LASH plot. The CIA deliberately kept it secret from JFK since they knew he

would not approve it. Chomsky cannot admit this, even though its true, because it again

shows the CIA and Kennedy at cross-purposes. Even Operation Mongoose ended on

November 29, 1962 at an NSC meeting of that day. In the final analysis, President JohnF. Kennedy wanted to end tensions with Cuba and even possibly normalize relations with

Cuba. President John F. Kennedy evolved from a traditional Cold Warrior to a more

progressive, pro-peace President. We weren't the same since 1963 and we definitelyweren't the same since 1968. Many leaders who called for change and peace in the 1960's

were assassinated by extremists basically. Today, we still have heroes of every

background that are fighting against imperialism, fighting for peace, and fighting forequality. Our job is still the same though. It's to inspire humanity and to be active to

fight for revolutionary change in the world pointedly.

Malcolm X was murdered on February 21, 1965. He was about to give an address to arally in Harlem about the OAAU or the Organization for Afro-American Unity. The

establishment was threatened of his views. He was under surveillance by the FBI and theCIA. His revolutionary views certainly inspire those of us of every background, because

it is right to be militant not passive toward any evil or injustice that plagues world

society. His assassination inspired Bobby Seale to co-establish the Black Panther Party

for Self Defense with Huey Newton. Malcolm X and other male and female leadersrepresented the social and intellectual voice of the black liberation struggle.

Internationally, human beings all over the world fought against police brutality, poverty,

and prejudice. The reactionaries hated Malcolm X, but one of Malcolm X's greatest giftswas that he disagreed with the reformist Democratic Party. The reason is that the

Democrats try to act liberal on a lot of occasions, but they still are of the system. They


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still activate the interests of big business to put it in laymen terms. For example, The

Democrats instituted welfare reform, Bush-lite foreign policy, and NAFTA. They are justas wrong as the Republicans are on some issues. That is why I am not a Republican or a

Democrat. I am an Independent from a political standpoint. Revolutionary ideologies not

token efforts are necessary in an imperfect land. Malcolm X understood that the current

system had to be overthrown in order for the oppressed to end the rule of the oppressor.Malcolm X was a pan African nationalist, but he didn't accept capitalism. Even today,

many sincere black nationalists want to worship capitalism, but no economic philosophyis perfect. An economic system that says that top wealthiest should own almost half of

the worlds wealth is wrong. As Malcolm X said, Africans must use an economic system

beneficial to Africans. Malcolm X wanted more conscious action, especially politicalaction as a means to meet the needs of black African Americans. For example, grassroots

voter drives, community development programs, fights against poverty, centers to teach

real African culture including African history, etc. are superior methods of solving

problems than just a speech. Although, there is nothing wrong with giving an excellent,inspiring speech to the people, so I want to make that perfectly clear. That is why

Malcolm X said the following words: "separation back to Africa is a long termprogram and while it is yet to materialize 22 million of our people who are still here inAmerica need better food, clothing, housing and jobs right now...Now that I have more

independence of action, I intend to use a more flexible approach toward working with

others to get a solution to this problem." Malcolm X later wanted to work with any civilrights organization that was genuinely dedicated to establish concrete results to assist the

human race in general. The civil rights movement is still here in the 21st century. It still

continues after the era of the 1950's to the early 1970's.

There is a strong black African tie to Christianity indeed. Origen (or the old earlyChristian writer & scholar) wrote long ago that it doesn't make a difference if a person

was born Hebrew, Greek, Ethiopian, Scythian, or Taurian, all human beings are createdequal and alike (as being created from God). Philip the Evangelist baptized the minister

of the Ethiopian Queen. In the early church, black people were treated equally in many

places until later on. The infiltrators and other evil individuals distorted originalChristianity and spirituality in general as a means to promote discrimination and bigotry.

We should be better than that and advance equality, justice, and spiritual growth for the

human race. According to Dr. John Mbiti's book entitled, "The Early Church in

Africa," the message of Jesus Christ penetrated Africa before it ever reached into Europe.

Even Jesus was in Africa for a temporary period of time before he came into Israel for

long years. In fact the conversion of the Ethiopian man as described in the Book of Actspredates the apostle Paul's first missionary journey into Europe by a couple of years.

Christianity has over a million Christians by the year of 300 A.D. inside of Egypt. The

Nubian Kingdoms accepted Christianity heavily before Islam came on the scene. The

Egyptian Coptic Church in the Sudan and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church still existtoday. Though persecuted, their presence is testimony to the historicity of Christianity in

Africa. King Azana made Christianity the official religion of the Kingdom of Aksum. As

we know, the Kingdom of Aksum was in a region where there were major internationaltrade routes through the Red Sea between India, the rest of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula,

and the ancient Roman Empire. There is growing evidence that the long-standing


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presence of Christianity in the Nile Valley and in present-day Ethiopia provided a base

for the introduction of Christianity in Southern and Western Africa. The oppressor usesChristianity as a means to dominate human beings in an evil fashion. More progressive or

an African centered reading of Christianity is utilized as a means to uplift those of black

African descent and the entire human race in general. Jesus Christ was a revolutionary

since he disagreed with many of the dictates of the Roman Empire. He called on a richman to give up all of their wealth to help the poor. He talked about peacemaking. He

disagreed with the nefarious, strident religious elite of his day. These actions arerevolutionary for that time period. I don't believe that Jesus today would be driving the

latest Lexus or Maybach. He wouldn't support the war on terror or the invasion of Libya

including the exploitation of the Congo by the Western powers at all. He would beopposed to the agenda of the oligarchy. One reason is that the oligarchy has been linked

to harming the poor and the dispossessed along lifes road. Therefore, Christian heritage

in Africa goes back to the days of the Scriptures itself. Many folks like Nat Turner,

Denmark Vessey, AME Church minister Daniel Payne, and Gabriel Prosser wereprofessing Christians. Now, the big picture is that only Africans can develop Africa

period. So, there is no need to hate all Christians or hate all Muslims. We should believein a pan Africanism that allows religious freedom. The reason is that Africa is amultifaith filled continent. We don't have to agree on every theological point as a

prerequisite to peaceful coexistence. Yet, we should respect the essence of our black

African culture and the essence of true justice for all. Fundamentally, we should use

religion as a means to live righteously, care for the sick, help the poor, stand up

against oppression, promote equality, believe in truth, and treat all human beingswith dignity and with respect. There ought to be a defeat of economic inequality, the

growth of real businesses, and the love for humanity in general irrespective ofbackground. Wisdom and truth reign supremely in the Universe. So, spirituality is a great

thing when it is expressed in a cogently beautiful fashion.


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Appendix A: Dr. Martin Luther Kings Birthday in 2011 & Beyond

Dr. Martin Luther King is one of the famous people in human history. I've learned a lotfrom him including other human beings. His dedication to human rights and justice is aninspiration for us all. His father was the famous Baptist preacher from Georgia namedDr. Martin Luther King Sr. He was a man that was right to stand up for economic justiceand equality for all peoples in the world. Dr. Martin Luther King lived a very short lifefrom 1929-1968. Yet, his thorough legacy transpires onward in our time and in the agesin the future. He is famous for organizing the successful Montgomery, Alabama busboycott for opposition against discrimination on the basis of color in America. Dr. MartinLuther King and other unsung heroes stood up against the status quo to create new lawsto protect voting rights, promote civil rights, and having housing rights for all Americans.

For when states rights are utilized to violate the human rights of people, then protestsare definitely legitimate to incorporate real freedom in our land. One of Dr. King'sgreatest contributions to the world was his opposition to the Vietnam War and thepromotion of the Poor People's Campaign. He desired a war on poverty. This resonatestoday since we have tent cities, people lack health care now, and other tragedies areoccurring today in America. King wanted the Poor Peoples Campaign to include acoalition of people of many races (like blacks, whites, Hispanics, Native Americans,Asians, etc.) to go into Washington, D.C. in order to demand billions of dollars to be


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spent in order to fight against poverty. As historian Gerald McKnight observes, Kingwas proposing nothing less than a radical transformation of the Civil RightsMovement into a populist crusade calling for redistribution of economic and politicalpower. Americas only civil rights leader was now focusing on class issues and wasplanning to descend on Washington with an army of poor to shake the foundations of the

power structure and force the government to respond to the needs of the ignoredunderclass.

King was correct to point out that it's hypocritical to spend billions of dollars in anunjust war of Vietnam, while people are suffering here in home in dilapidatedhomes, etc. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on militarydefense than on programs of social uplift, said Dr. King, is approaching spiritual doom.He is right on that point since the Vietnam War wasted the resources needed for theGreat Society programs. Dr. King promoted non-violent resistance as a radical means ingetting done solid resolutions for people. Dr. King was for black power, selfassertiveness, and black businesses to grow throughout the South plus the world. He

opposed imperialism and the cartel-capitalist system (that has been involved in theinternational slave trade, globalization, the war on terror, and other nefarious evils in theworld). Dr. Martin Luther King was not a perfect man. We know his mistakes (if Dr. Kingdid adultery then he was wrong), yet no one is truly perfect. We can't ignore his errors orthe things that he got correct. The reactionaries lie and said that Dr. King was aCommunist when he explicitly condemned Communism as promoting ethical relativism,promoting a violation of human freedoms, and it doesn't equate real spiritual growth (asCommunism viewed man as just as cog in the wheel of the state). Dr. King evencondemned Communism in TV shows during 1967. Ive seen them on Youtube. Dr. Kingmentioned and exposed Communism in these terms:

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What Dr. Martin Luther King did mention that we need individual and collective solutionsto solve our problems, which is true. What we can do is to use his memory to advancewhat he got right from opposition to Jim Crow segregation to tolerance & love for yourfellow human beings. You don't have to agree with your neighbor (or me for that matter)on every single issue, but we should treat our neighbor as ourselves. That's the Goldenrule from Jesus Christ and that's common sense. Dr. Martin Luther King even back thencondemned the problems with our health care system. He said that: Of all the formsof inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.

If you want to fulfill Dr. King's legacy, then we have be comprehensive in our thinking.We have to fight against poverty, promote equal rights for all peoples, respect the dignityof labor, have love for true health care reform, endorse real individual liberties, andoppose the war on terror. King was a particular obsession of FBI Director J. EdgarHoover, who had branded him the most dangerous Negro in America, conductingextensive wiretapping and surveillance against Dr. King. Hoover and his FBI agentsorchestrated hate mail that included death threats against him. Hoover violated thehuman rights of people from across the political spectrum via his COINTELPROprogram. J. Edgar Hoover was a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Freemason. Dr. MartinLuther King would have been moved to action by the U.S. Supreme Court's decisionallowing corporations to be treated as having the same rights of persons. Property,

said Dr. King, is intended to serve life, and no matter how much we surround it withrights and respect, it has no personal being. It is part of the earth man walks on. It is notman. King was an intellectual, a philosopher, and he promoted education.Even Kingopposed colonialism, materialism, and economic exploitation (which are theessences of much of the Western mindset even among self proclaimed "wisepeople." The people that love this materialism worry about brand named clothing or anelectronic device than the degrading, stereotypical images from the corporate world thatdemonize people of color plus all peoples. This reality exists in the illusion of a post-


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racial society). Dr. Martin Luther King in his 1967 A Time to Break the Silence speechin NYs Riverside Church refers to the slums and ghettos of America as a system ofinternal colonialism. King said that America is the nation promoting violence in apervasive fashion via war. Even when Tavis Smiley brings this up in comparison toPresident Barack Obama (who is no Dr. King), he called a hater unfairly. We have toremind ourselves that Dr. Martin Luther King was definitely radical in his time and radical

today. Dr. Martin Luther King in late 1967 called for peace in his following sermon:

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. Man is more than a tiny vagary ofwhirling electrons or a wisp of smoke from a limitless smoldering. Man is achild of God, made in His image, and therefore must be respected as such.Until men see this everywhere, until nations see this everywhere, we will be

fighting wars. ,

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. Theologians would say that it is the love ofGod operating in the human heart. When you rise to love on this level, youlove all men not because you like them, not because their ways appeal to you,but you love them because God loves them. This is what Jesus meant when he

said, "Love your enemies."A ' ' , " ,"

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. We can't ever give up. We must work passionatelyand unrelentingly for first-class citizenship. We must never let up in ourdetermination to remove every vestige of segregation and discrimination fromour nation, but we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege to love

If Dr. King lived in 2011, many Republicans and many Tea Party folks would disagreewith him vehemently on various issues. People like Glen Beck (a man who calledHurricane Katrina victims scum like a deceiver), Lloyd Marcus (he loves to sing and


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dance in Tea Party rallies), and others embrace a historical revisionist version of Dr.King instead of the real Dr. Martin Luther King (who wanted all wars of aggression to endand a radical transformation of values to benefit the common man). King was not somemoderate, malleable, person in 1968. He was a strong progressive that desiredprogressive actions to build up our standard of living and our fundamentalcapabilities of freedom & justice. After 1965, MLK fought hard for economic justice.

This is why he traveled in the South, North, East, and West to find solutions. Dr. MartinLuther King's views are easy to find and they are documented. Dr. Martin Luther King

just before he died advocated a guaranteed national income to fight against thecrippling evil of poverty in America. Even Dr. King would respect President BarackObama's intellect and contributions to society, but he would even disagree with some ofhis policies. Yet, I am not a reactionary person. Some of the reactionaries believe inslandering President Barack Obama though (as being a socialist, a fascist, or not a realAmerican citizen). On the other hand, criticizing President Obama on real matters likethe Federal Reserve, attacks in Pakistan, his promotion of the anti-liberty DHS, andother points are fine. Dr. King would oppose Wall Street's consumption of Americaninfrastructure. He would oppose the current prison system with its 3 strikes laws andmass incarceration of people, especially black people. In early 1968, King declared: It

is incontestable and deplorable that Negroes have committed crimes; but they arederivative crimes. They are born of the greater crimes of the white society. Couldyou imagine a person saying these comments today publicly in the USA in 2011?King stated, we must use every constructive means to amass economic and politicalpower. This is the kind of legitimate power we need. We must work to build racial prideand refute the notion that [B]lack is evil and ugly. Dr. King predicted the rise of thereactionaries form 1968 to the present (like Nixon and Reagan. Both men believed infiscal conservatism, color blindness, and an exploitation of the real meaning of personalresponsibility to scapegoat the poor. Many poor people exist not because of laziness orbad morals, but because of systemic forces that cause poverty in the first place). Hesaid that: For a period a movement may follow a straight line and then itencounters obstacles and the path bends.we are encountering such a period

today. The inevitable counterrevolution that succeeds every period of progress istaking place.


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God is interested in the freedom of the whole human race, the creation of asociety where all men will live together as brothers. I think with all of these

challenges being met and with all of the work, and determination going on, wewill be able to go this additional distance and achieve the ideal, the goal of the

new age, the age of social justice

- Dr. Martin Luther Kings speech in 1963 at the Western Michigan University

If Dr. Martin Luther King was alive today, he might have been treated by the mediaworse than Rev. Jeremiah Wright was. Rev. Wright was only criticized for a few months.By 1968, most of the establishment (even some black establishment figures) shunnedKing as rocking the boat too much. In our time in 2011, we have to oppose this evil,unjust war on terror costing trillions of dollars with hundreds of military bases worldwide.We should call for a real war on poverty to help the poor. We should call for therebuilding of our education and health services. Dr. Martin Luther King was reportedlyalso called on to have an independent presidential campaign focused on the issues ofwar and social justice.No one can be Dr. King, but we should be ourselves and be ourown leaders in our communities. We are not in the Promised Land yet. We are stillfighting the walls of Jericho in the border of the Promised Land. We left Egypt, and weare in the Joshua Generationmorally and spiritually. King said that we need a radicalredistribution of economic and political power to handle our affairs. When you see recordwealth by the super rich and record poverty in the world, there is nothing wrong withending economic injustices. Civil rights reforms without economic reforms will causeissues for us. If Dr. King was alive in 2011, things could be better since Dr. Kingwould put extreme pressure on society to make real changes. He wouldn't be thetype to quit using his intellect and eloquent words. Should we be Republicans orDemocrats? Both parties have had their history of evil. That is why I am an Independent.As for you, you will have to make up that decision for yourself. Regardless of what partyyoure in, dont sellout your people or the truth. I would advise people to be anIndependent. No political philosophy is God. God is God.


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Now you know why Ive mention this political inquiry. The reason is that manyRepublicans and reactionaries (that slurred and slandered King ironically in the 1960s)are now claiming that Dr. Martin Luther King was a registered Republican. This claim ispromoted by the NBRA group or the National Black Republican Association (which isfunded by the corporate Heritage Foundation). The reality is that King biographer TaylorBranch found no evidence of King of being registered back in 1956. King did vote for

Eisenhower in that year though. Furthermore, King said the Southern ChristianLeadership Council would "not blindly support any party that refuses to take aforthright stand on the question of civil rights," which, at the time, meant both ofthem. In 1960, Dr. King voted for John F. Kennedy and in 1964, he voted for LyndonBaines Johnson. He heavily criticized Barry Goldwater for his libertarian views on civilrights. If King was a real Republican, he wouldnt have criticized Goldwater, but he did.King said that that he: out to get rid of Goldwater-ism in this nation." Towardthe end of his life, King worked closely with Robert Kennedy, who was planning torun for president. His closest aides still say that had King lived a little longer in 1968,he would have endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time. Dr. Martin Luther Kingby the time he died would have disagreed with some of the NBRAs & the Tea Partysplatform since King was a progressive. The historical record ought to be made in an

accurate fashion without false rhetoric or blatantly deceptive tactics. Its hilarious thatthose of reaction would try to usurp the legacy of Dr. King when Dr. King plainly said inthe 1960s that: "Jesus [is] the world's most famous liberal." Rush Limbaugh, GlenBeck, Michelle Bachmann, Karl Rove, Michelle Malkin, Sarah Palin, Bill OReilly, SeanHannity, Michael Savage, and others would disagree with these words.

I cant embrace a philosophy that allows the rich to get richer and the poor to be poorer.Dr. Martin Luther King was a key black leader that could affect public policy greater thansome politicians. If you want to be a leader, then you have to maintain your coreconvictions without compromise (and not be intimidated by bullying, red-baiting, or poorscapegoating propaganda).It is not immoral to call for wealth and power to be givenfairly and evenly among all of its peoples. There has to be balance, rational

thinking, and peace in our lives.True concern for the disadvantaged (and all classesof people. All human beings are created equal with equal value. They should havebasic human rights without exception among all backgrounds) is one key tohappiness. Giant corporations should be held in check via governmental power. I dontagree with forcing my views on others, but I have the right to peacefully express my viewand call for reforms in society. You have every right to use resources or tools if youwant to protect yourself themselves and your families. You have that right to be afreeman not a Freemason. Why do you think the Huguenots (for FrenchProtestants) left Europe for America? Why do you think blacks used riflemen toguard civil rights workers? Why do you think the Gullah lead real rebellionsagainst imperialists back in the 1800s in South Carolina? They werent playinggames or tidally wink. They understood that individual rights of self preservation

come with tactics to be done to ensure our rights. Having religious liberty rightsare important to maintain too.Dr.

These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old

systems of exploitation and oppression and out of the wombs of a frail world new systems

of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the world


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are rising up as never before. We in the West must support these revolutions

(King speech, Beyond Vietnam, 4/4/67). Even King mentioned that:

I contended that the debate over the question of self-defense was unnecessary since

few people suggested that Negroes should not defend themselves as individuals whenattacked. The question was not whether one should use his gun when his home was

attacked, but whether it was tactically wise to use a gun while participating in an

organized demonstration (Where Do We Go, p. 27). These words are against the

mainstream, guarded Dr. Martin Luther King.

King wanted a revolution of values in his own words too:

We as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values when machines andcomputers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important thanpeople, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of beingconquered.Martin Luther King on April 4, 1967

When you get older, you see the truth more clearly. The truth is that non-cooperation isevil is as much a necessity as cooperation with good. Many of our great leaders woke upa great deal before they died. Dr. Martin Luther King, Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and

even WEB Dubois in some measure woke up to the fact that radical action on the part ofblack Africans is vital in forming a better world society. Dr. Martin Luther King evenbefore he was assassinated wanted the growth of black economic power (and theboycotts or withdrawal of economic support toward companies that harmed or exploitedthe needs of the black community). He said these words in numerous speeches.Numerous unsung heroes in America and throughout made huge impacts additionally inestablishing institutions to assist the poor plus people of color. Therefore, a human hasevery right and every justification to utilize all determined means possible to abolishoppression, discrimination, and bigotry in all of its dimensions. Therefore, a person has


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the right to oppose unjust laws. The method of opposing evil force with just action is apreeminently vital method in achieving reforms. Nonviolence is definitely morallysuperior to violence in its composition, but I do believe in executing self defense whennecessary. There is no way we in America can get this thing right except if there areradical political, economic, and social changes in the country (where the poor arereceiving justice and the materialism plus greed is condemned). We should live in a

nation where unjust wars and drone attacks are historic memories. Even Dr. King said in1967 that he would fight the Nazis during World War II, because of Hitlers brutal actionsagainst innocent human beings. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with power if its usedcorrectly by human beings. Yet, if power is unevenly controlled by the 1%, then thatreality leads into economic disparities, economic exploitation, and a false presentation ofa more tranquil atmosphere. The atmosphere is tainted when you have record profitsand tax breaks by numerous transnational corporations. We have a problem in America,because power is unevenly distributed causing hard ache and suffering among a hugeportion of the populace. Even Dr. Martin Luther King agreed with the major Black Powergoals of Kwame Ture and McKissick (with only the difference of semantics). Its reallyclear that a colonialist is a colonialist. The modern day colonialists dont just exist in thereactionary Republican Party. Also, they exist in the fox ridden Democratic Party as well.

Both parties are heavily funded by Wall Street and each party refuses to even have asingle payer health care system that can benefit millions of Americans. Similar planshave worked worldwide. We know about Dr. King and Nkrumah. We know that beforethe CIA coup in February 24, 1966, Nkrumah wanted to go into Hanoi to present aproposal to end the U.S. imperialist war in Vietnam. Dr. King went into Ghana tocelebrate Ghanas independence. Seku Ture is another black liberator as well. KwameTure spent the last 31 years of his natural life residing, studying and waging struggle inGuinee. Kwame Tures invitation to live in Guinea, came from none other than SekuTure and Kwame Nkrumah. It is also important to give credit to many strong black sistersdoing their part then and now in 2012 fighting for real black liberation. Shirley GrahamDubois lived in Guinea. Dr. Dorothy Height worked hard for womens rights. AssataShakur is in Cuba now fighting for real justice and even Mahalia Jackson inspired

Dr. Martin Luther King to share his dream (when she already heard him said itpublicly). The revolutionary singer Miriam Makeba married Kwame Ture for a time.Miriam Makeda fought for the interests of South Africans and all Africans in the worldfrom the time of her birth to her passing away.

In our generation, we have that chance to fight against materialism, poverty, hunger,more effectively than in times past. We have no excuses now to find the truth. We havethe Internet, cell phones, Wi Fi, Wikipedia, text messaging, and other complex forms of21stcentury technology. For God is always just to forgive us and we ought to evermorepromote real liberty now and forever.

People like me are waking up daily. I look forward a better future and I have hope.


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Appendix A: 50 Years after Freedom Summer (1964-2014)

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Howard Thurman

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